Superman
by Lona Beth Undorina
Summary: Run faster, run faster, run faster. Run for your life, run for your life.
1. Run

_**Superman**_

**A Leverage fiction**

**Written by**

**Lona Beth Undorina**

* * *

**Boston. Sunday, September 2nd, 2010 – 11:37 P.M.**

It was late in Boston. For some, the long day was over and for others the night was just starting.

For one particular young women, her night was becoming one of excitement and danger. The red-haired woman was running down a street in the chilly September night. Her jacket was unbuttoned and flapping wildly as she ran and her leather bag was hitting her on the back of her leg as she ran quickly. Her hair kept getting in her face as she ran.

_Run. _

_Run faster, run faster, run faster, run faster. _

_Run for your life, run for your life, run for your life._

Fiona Silverman's mind was racing as she ran down a street in the middle of the night. She slowed down as she turned a corner, but she started running faster again as she heard the sound of running feet and angry shouts behind her.

_Run faster, run faster, run faster._

Fiona wasn't sure how long she had been running for. Five minutes? Ten? Twenty? All she knew what that she's in trouble and needs to run. They can't get her. She knows to much, they'll kill her. She need to get away from them.

The footsteps behind her were getting louder. Fiona tried to speed up, but her legs refused to move any faster.

"There she is!" Fiona heard a man's voice shout. She looked back momentarily to see six large men running after her. As she turned her head back, she laughed quickly to herself. She must be really dangerous to George Mulligan if he sent six of his goons after her. She quickly sobered as she focused her attention on escaping the men. She would have tried to call for help, but she lost her cell phone as she escaping Mulligan's office building and she would have yelled for help, but she didn't think anyone would respond in time. She would probably be dead by the time someone heard her shouting.

Fiona ran across the city street in an attempt to gain some ground. She had no clue where she was. She turned another corner and paused for a second. She buildings lined the street, all tall and gloomy looking in the night. A bright light on the other side of the street caught her attention and she saw a sign that read _McRory's Pub._ She ran across street and down the stairs that led to the basement level where the pub was located. She went to open the door and found out that it was locked. What pub was closed at this time of night? Fiona banged on the door, hoping someone would hear her. No one answered. Aware that her pursuers were getting closer, she ran back up the stairs and in to an alley next to the building, hoping that it led to another street. Her hope was crushed when she saw that she was cut off from the other side of the alley by a wire fence.

Noises from her pursuers could be heard, and Fiona was starting to panic. She looked frantically around for a place to hide. The alley was bare except for a couple of trash bins. She ran over to them, hoping she could find some room to hide in. In her excitement, she ended up knocking over one of the bins. She silently cursed herself for her clumsiness as she heard the men coming closer. "Can't be too far," she heard one of them say. Fiona pressed herself against the wall, hoping the shadows would conceal her. She was breathing heavily and tried to calm down so Mulligan's men wouldn't hear her.

"Split up and check the alleys," said a voice. Fiona stopped breathing all together. _This is it, _she thought as she closed her eyes, _it's over. _One of the thugs walked into the alley. He was just about six feet away from Fiona when he stopped. Fiona opened her eyes again and she saw him turn around, as if looking for her. He stopped for a moment, and Fiona was sure that he saw her. But he then continued turning. After he turned a complete three-sixty, he continued towards the back of the alley. Fiona was sure now that he would totally miss her and he would turn back around and walk right out of the alley. But then, everything went wrong. Fiona sneezed from the dust in alley. Mulligan's goon spun instantly and saw her. "She's in here!" he yelled to his companions and he started towards her.

The man had barely taken two steps when Fiona heard a thump. The man groaned and fell down onto one knee. He quickly got back up and turned his back towards Fiona. He swung his arms as if he were trying to hit something. His then stumbled backwards and then fell to the floor unconscious. His face was turned to the side and Fiona could see that his nose was bleeding. Fiona looked into the shadows, wondering what had just happened. Suddenly, she saw a figure of a man. "Stay out of the way and in the shadows," he whispered harshly, as he melted back in with the shadows. Fiona sunk to the ground, trying to hide again.

By now, the rest of Mulligan's goons had made their way back to the alley next to McRory's.

"Anderson, where are you?" Black silence answered them. Fiona tried not to hyperventilate, but the situation was putting a strain on her.

Another one of the thugs walked in slowly. He scarcely took fifteen steps into the alley when Fiona saw her mysterious savior attack the thug. The rest of the men heard the commotion as the second thug was quickly rendered unconscious. The remaining four goons ran into the alley all at once and attacked the other man.

Fiona closed her eyes again. She didn't want to see the mysterious man get beaten up by Mulligan's thugs. Sure he saved her from the first two, but he only got them by surprise. There was no way he was going to win this fight.

Despite her eyes being closed, Fiona could still hear the fighting going on. She heard punches and kicks exchanged. She heard somebody shout and following it was the sound of somebody falling to the ground. Fiona opened her eyes, expecting to see her rescuer dead on the ground. Much to her surprise, he wasn't. In fact, he seemed to be kicking the bad guys' butts. Half of Mulligan's goons were on the ground, either unconscious or stunned. The mysterious man was finishing off the third one and then focused on the other two. Fiona was amazed, it was against all odds that this man should still be alive. Heck, Fiona was still amazed that she was still alive. She watched the fight with amazement.

The man was slightly smaller than Mulligan's goons, yet he was defeating them with apparent ease. The two remaining thugs didn't stand a chance.

At least, that's what Fiona thought. One of the two remaining thugs leaped at the man, fury all over his face. There was no doubt on the goon's face that he was ready to kill him. The second of the two stayed back. Fiona looked on and watched the fight. Suddenly, she couldn't see the two men fighting, something was blocking her view. She looked up to see the second thug standing in front of her, smiling crazily. Before Fiona had time to react, he grabbed her roughly by the shoulders and pulled up. He spun her around and held her tightly. At the same time, he pulled out a knife and held it to her neck.

"Stop now!" He yelled to the other two men. They stopped fighting and looked at the man that was holding Fiona. "Leave us, or she dies," the man with the knife ordered. He put the knife a little closer to Fiona's neck. She tried to tell the mysterious man not do anything rash or stupid (as men are prone to do), but she couldn't seem to talk.

"Let her go," said the man. His fists were still clenched and he looked as if he would kill the two men if he could. After seeing no response from the other two men, he repeated himself. "I said let her go!"

"And why should I," asked the man with the knife. Although Fiona couldn't see him, she could just sense the smugness radiating off of him. "Will the hero-man hurt me?" The goon laughed stupidly at his own joke.

Fiona locked eyes with the hero-man. After a brief moment, he broke off with a nod and he turned towards the other goon (who was idly watching nearby). He raised his fist and punch the thug in the face, sending him reeling to the ground. Fiona took care of the other goon. He raised her leg quickly and kicked him hard in the shin. The thug howled in pain and dropped the knife and let go of Fiona as well. Fiona ran to the other side of the alley, trying to avoid the brawl that was going on between the hero-man and the second thug. The first thug decided to ignore the pain in his shin. He picked up the knife and walked slowly towards Fiona, smilingly maniacally. Fiona pressed herself against the wall and tried to slide against the wall away from the thug.

Fiona's "hero-man was still taking care of the second thug, but he noticed the first heading for Fiona. After a few quick punches and kicks, he threw the stunned second thug into the trash bins with a loud crash. He ran and tackled the first thug, throwing him to the ground. The knife clattered out of his hand, throwing it across the alley. The hero-man wrestled with him and punched him several times, which the thug responded to with some punches of his own. The fight continued on for several minutes, but the thug was slowly gaining the upper hand. He had thrown the man up against the wall, and Fiona was sure that he was down for good. But to her surprise, and the thug's, he got right back up, charging the thug again. They continued fighting for they were too well matched.

Fiona, distracted from the fight, failed to notice (She would later curse herself for not paying attention) the second thug that had been thrown into the garbage bins had recovered from his stupor. The thug shook his head and then spotted the knife. He picked up the knife and started for the two fighting men.

Fiona's hero-man had just rendered the first thug unconscious when the second caught him by surprise. With the knife. Fiona saw the thug before he did. "Look out!" Fiona yelled. The hero-man spun around and saw the last thug. The goon made a slashing motion with the knife and the hero-man stumbled backwards with a hiss of pain coming from his mouth. The hero-man disarmed the thug and quickly defeated him for a second time.

Fiona was stunned, scared, and speechless. As her hero-man turned to face her, she was finally able to look at his face. He had shoulder-length brown hair, and some stubble on his chin. He wore a t-shirt, jeans, and cowboy boots. "Are you alright?" He asked gently. It was then that Fiona realized that she was shaking and was holding on the her bag tightly. She let go of her bag and took a deep breath. "Yeah, thanks," she said with a slight quiver in her voice. _Damn it,_ she thought; she hated playing the part of the damsel in distress. "Uh... thanks again," she said quickly. "I should get going." She started to walk out of the alley.

"Hold it," said the man, grabbing her arm. "You can't just leave. There could be more guys still looking for you. Why were they chasing you anyways?"

"I really don't want to talk about it," she took his hand off of her arm. He moved so that he was in front of her, blocking the alley entrance.

The man made a noise of frustration. "Look, I just think that it's weird that you were running in the middle of the night from six guys who were gonna kill you."

"You think that's weird?" Fiona said. This guy was starting to get _**really**_annoying. "So it's not weird at all that some guy randomly walks out of the shadows and fights like Jackie Chan? Are you some Batman freak who runs around Boston at night fighting the Joker or something?"

"Are all women so ungrateful when someone saves their life?" Much to Fiona's delight, the man was starting to sound really ticked off.

"Only if that person thinks they're Superman," she said.

"I never said that! Who the heck are you anyways?"

Fiona looked at the man. He did just save her life... And it's not as if her name isn't well-known. Well, somewhat known. She sighed. "My name is Fiona Silverman."

The man's face portrayed confusion. "Have I heard that name somewhere."

"It's possible," Fiona said quickly. "I've done some writing for the Boston Globe."

The man nodded his head in silence response.

"And who on earth are you?" Fiona demanded.

"I'm Superman, I never tell anyone my secret identity," he said with a smirk.

"Fine," Fiona huffed in annoyance. She walked past him and onto the sidewalk, bumping him in the shoulder hard as she passed him. She was shocked when he yelled out in surprise. She spun around to see him holding his hand to his shoulder, his eyes closed tightly. "Are you okay?" she asked cautiously. He opened his eyes and looked right at her. "Yeah, I'm fine," he said. Fiona didn't know how, but she knew he was lying.

"You're obviously not," she observed. In the dim light, she could see a dark spot spreading on his t-shirt. "You're hurt," she said with horror. While this man really ticked her off, she hated anyone getting hurt. Especially because of her. "Let me help you," she offered.

"No! I'm fine," the man insisted. "It's nothing that I haven't dealt with before."

Fiona raised an eyebrow. "That reassures me so much, let me help you home," she demanded.

"Woman, I told you, I'm fine! I can get home myself."

Fiona looked at him angrily. "Fine. Good night, Superman. And thank you for saving my life. I hope you don't die." The last phrase she said forcefully.

She walked off, hoping she could catch a taxi. She looked back over her shoulder and saw the man walking down the stairs to McRory's Pub, his hand still on his bloody shoulder. Confused, she turned her head around. She shifted her bag over he shoulder and started walking home.

At the same time, she was silently thanking God for Superman.

* * *

**A.N.~ So what did you think? Should I let this be a one-shot, or let it fold out into a multi-chapter story? Let me know through your reviews (Which, by the way, sustain my life. So review. A LOT.) :D**


	2. Trust

**Chapter Two**

_**Trust**_

Fiona never went home. After seeing her rescuer descend the stairs to the Irish pub, she hailed a taxi. But she wasn't stupid enough to go back to her apartment; George Mulligan could have sent men to kill her there. She went to motel called the Night Owl Motel. After she checked in and went to her room. Directly after she locked the door behind her, she dropped her bag and kicked off her shoes, she collapsed onto the bed and fell instantly asleep, exhausted from the night's events.

**Night Owl Motel, Boston – Monday, September 3rd, 2010 -8:03 A.M. **

Fiona woke up to the sun shining on her face. She yawned and stretched her body. Still laying in the bed, she thought of what happened the night before. Did she really escape from George Mulligan with her life? Mulligan was a extremely dangerous man, often killing those that posed a threat to him. No one was ever able prove it though. Wait, why was she a threat to Mulligan? Ah yes, now she remembered. She smiled to herself, she actually did it! If she succeeded, George Mulligan would be arrested for his crimes. She was giddy at the thought of it. Looking over at the clock on the bedside table, she jumped at what the time was; she should be at work right now! She started to look in her bag for her cell phone when she remembered that she lost it when running from Mulligan. _Great,_ she thought. Either she was going to have to get a new one, or retrieve the phone from Mulligan's offices. She decided that getting a new one would be easier. She walked over to the phone on the bedside table and picked it up. She dialed the The Boston Globe's number by memory. After explaining how she was sick (it was a lie, she most definitely knew that. Her legs ached, was that not an ailment of a sort?), she hung up.

She sat down on the edge of her bed. Her mind wandered to what she saw last night. Her heart raced when she remembered the intensity of the situation. She was still amazed that that man actually defeated those goons. She went back to what he said last night. _"I'm Superman..."_ How she wanted to slap that smug grin off his face. In one encounter Fiona was able to tell what he was: An insufferable, moody, smug know-it-all. What did he know about running from thugs? _Granted, _Fiona thought, _he does know how to fight. But it's not the same as running from people._ She sighed at her illogical thinking. She was so utterly confused by it all. Why had he gone down to the pub after? If he was in McRory's when she banged on the door, why hadn't he answered? The reporter in her was itching to find out. But something told her not to go back there. Was it actual chance that a martial arts expert just happened to be in the alley at the time? _No, _she thought. _Something's not right about that place. I really shouldn't go. _She bit her lip, part of her said that she shouldn't go, danger seemed to lurk there. But the other half of her was yelling why she wasn't there already. After several conflicted moments, the yelling half of her won. Jumping up off the bed, Fiona quickly put on her shoes. She then stopped suddenly. She realized that she probably could use breakfast and a shower. _Looks like McRory's is just going to have to wait, _she thought to herself. She walked out of the room and wondered if the motel offered any form of a continental breakfast.

* * *

**McRory's Pub, Boston – 11:28 A.M.**

Showered and fed, Fiona paid the taxi driver, stepped out of the taxi and onto the sidewalk. Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to move to stairs leading to the pub. She walked down the stairs and opened the door. Half-expecting somebody to attack her, she walked in slowly. The inside looked like any other pub that Fiona had been to.

Even though it was near lunchtime, there were very few customers in the pub. Walking over to a booth in the far corner, Fiona sighed and sat down. What was she expecting to find here? Superman's Fortress of Solitude? She was most likely never going to see him again in her life. Silently berating herself for her stupidity, Fiona ordered a glass of water and just sat, thinking.

Twenty minutes later, Fiona snapped out of her thinking stupor. Undecided about whether she should leave or not, she pulled her netbook out of her bag and turned it on. Just then the bell on the door rang as it was opened and in walked two people. People had been quietly coming in and out of the pub ever since Fiona arrived, but these new customers were different. To start off, they were much louder than the others. One was a petite, blonde young woman of average height. She was wearing all black and had a slightly crazed look in her eyes. Her skin was very light compared to her friend's dark skin. She just smiled as her friend talked loudly to her. Her friend, a man, wore the average t-shirt and jeans. He carried a laptop in his arm. They walked across the pub and Fiona thought they were going to sit in the booth next to her's. Instead they walked into a back room, still talking loudly. "Parker!" said the man frustratingly "You can't just do stuff like that! What if somebody saw you?" Fiona heard a woman's laugh and assumed it was "Parker" that had laughed. Pushing the strange couple's behavior to the back of her mind, Fiona turned her focus back on to her netbook. It was time to do a little more research on George Mulligan.

Half hour later, Fiona's neck forced her to take a break at looking at the netbook. Rubbing her neck, Fiona looked around the room. She saw the bartender doing his job and there still weren't that many people in the bar. Looking at a clock on the wall, Fiona figured that she should leave. She still didn't feel safe staying in one place. Closing her netbook, she walked out of the bar. She was glad she remembered her jacket, because the wind had started to pick up outside. Buttoning her jacket up, she walked up the stairs. Standing for a moment, she walked to the edge of the sidewalk. She was just about to hail a taxi back to the motel. But then she thought that she could walk some of the way. It certainly would save her money on a taxi fare. She headed off down the street.

After a couple of blocks away from McRory's, Fiona had that feeling that someone was following her. Looking back quickly, she saw a figure in a dark sweatshirt with the hood behind her. _Must be another one of Mulligan's men. __Why am I _**_always _**_right when I have this feeling?_ Turning her head quickly, Fiona rounded a corner. After a couple of seconds, she turned to see the hooded figure still following her. Trying not to panic, Fiona quickly went through her options. She could try to run. _Yeah, 'cause that worked last time, _she told herself. She thought about going into one of the many coffee shops she passed, but she could just end up trapped in there. Hailing a taxi would take to long and whoever was following her could get to her by the time a cab stopped. Still walking, she looked behind her again. Something seemed weird about the figure. _Well no surprise there, idiot. The freaking weirdo is following you!_ But something else seemed odd. The figure almost seemed... familiar. Fiona's mind was racing. Suddenly, an idea came to her. She turned another corner, but instead of walking on she stopped and turned around. Almost instantly, the figure came around the corner. They were immediately greeted by a fist to the left shoulder and a knee to the stomach. Crying out in surprise and pain the hooded person dropped to their knees. "Just as I thought," Fiona said. She pulled back the hood. There on the ground, face red from pain, was "Superman".

Breathing heavily, he growled "What the heck do you think you're doing?"

"Why were you following me?" Fiona asked.

"I have my reasons," he said, jumping up quickly, apparently recovered. He looked angrily at Fiona.

"And what are your reasons?" she replied.

"Superman" looked at Fiona again. Taking his time, he took of the sweatshirt, revealing that he was wearing a black t-shirt under it. _Is he trying to be ninja? _Fiona thought, unimpressed. "There were two reasons," he started. "The first one, was that I was following _someone else_ who was following you," he said smugly. If he was waiting for a kiss from the damsel-in-distress, he sure as hell wasn't going to get one from Fiona.

"Really?" Fiona said it as if it was old news to hear. She actually hadn't known that someone else was following her. "And where is this 'someone else?'"

"In a dumpster couple blocks back," he grinned slyly.

Fiona rolled her eyes. She'll have to figure out who the 'other person' was later. But now she owed him. Again. "And the other reason?"

"I wanted to know what the heck you were doing at the pub!" He sounded ticked. "Do you know how dangerous that could have been for you? Mulligan could have sent his thugs back there to check the pub out."

Fiona was shocked. How on earth did he know? "How the heck did you find out about Mulligan? I never told you."

"I did some research. You got quite a background, Miss Silverman."

"I don't want to hear about it," Fiona said quickly. She turned around and walked around from "Superman". Last thing she needed was somebody snooping into her past. She was the reporter, wasn't she supposed to do the snooping?

"I wouldn't go if I were you," he called after her. Fiona halted for a moment, then continued walking. "I'm serious!" he yelled gruffly. Fiona stopped again. Turning around, she walked briskly towards him. "And why shouldn't I go?" Fiona asked. This guy was _really_ starting to tick her off.

"Because you are going back to the pub with me, have a beer, and answer some questions for me."

"Isn't there some cat in a tree that needs saving, Superman?" Fiona said, crossing her arms.

"Will you just come? I could help you take down Mulligan," he persisted. And as if he read her mind, he grinned and added, "Besides, you owe me."

_Oh, come on! Now you kind of have to, Fiona! _After several minutes, she looked him straight in the eyes. He must have been genuine about his offer to help, or Fiona would have never agreed. "Fine," she said resentfully. "I'll go." They walked off back to McRory's.

* * *

**McRory's Pub, Boston – 1:14 P.M. (Again)**

Fiona found herself sitting across a booth from "Superman." He had just sat down with a beer in one hand and a glass of water in the other. The water was for Fiona, who said she didn't drink. Eying the man closely, Fiona noted how limited the movement in his left shoulder was. _Must hurt like hell, s_he thought. Focusing back on the man's face, she asked the question that she'd been dying to know.

"What's your name?"

The man put down the beer that he had been taking a drink from. "Eliot," he said. He didn't offer a surname. Fiona didn't really feel like pushing for one. He seemed to be in a hell of a mood.

Fiona said "Do you usually spend the nights lurking in alleys, waiting for something to happen?"

Eliot made a face as if he were thinking about it. "It's what I do," he said. "It's my turn to ask a question."

"Fine," Fiona said, leaning against the back of the booth. She hated being the one answering questions. "Ask away," she said impatiently

Eliot took another drink of beer. "I want to know what you did that made Mulligan send his men after you."

Fiona was hardly surprised by the question. But that didn't mean she didn't want to answer it. Looking at Eliot... Eliot, that was hardly the name she was expecting her rescuer to have. She was hoping for something a little more romantic. Focusing back on the question, she opened her mouth. "I was looking for something in his office."

"I'm assuming you weren't invited into his office either," Eliot said.

"Bingo," Fiona replied. "Apparently, George Mulligan doesn't take kindly to unannounced visitors." Smirking, she thought that she must have been close to something if Mulligan sent six thugs after her.

Eliot took another drink of his beer. "I'm surprised you made it as far as you did last night," he said gruffly. "What the hell were you looking for in his office?"

Fiona sighed. "It's a long story." She looked at the clock on the wall. "I probably should be going anyways." She started to grab her bag and move out of the booth. "

"Not the wisest choice," Eliot said, knowingly.

Fiona looked at him. "I really, really appreciate what you did for me, but I have to get home."

"Mulligan would've sent his goons to stake out your home, your workplace, and friend's home," Eliot said. "They really don't want you finding whatever it is you're looking for."

"I don't care," said Fiona. "I need to go." She _really_ didn't want to tell him why she was there. She couldn't be sure whether he was a spy or not and she didn't feel like taking the chance.

"Fiona," Eliot said gently. "If you will tell me what is going on, I'm positive I can help." Fiona looked at him and saw in his eyes that he meant it. She sighed and sat back down in the booth. Taking a drink of her water, she started to speak.

"I'm a freelance reporter," she said. "I've written for many papers, but the Boston Globe was my global debut. I've had a couple of my articles published by them, but they were unimportant. I mean, who wants to read about the decline in sales at pet stores? No one really did, and I was dying of boredom. But then I came across a possible story.

"I was going through some old files at the public library when I came across the name George Mulligan for the first time. It was in a newspaper from a couple years ago. Mulligan is the president of a company that sells vitamin supplementary pills. He was under fire for the supposed murder of a young girl that was threatening to tell some horrid truth about his product. The police and even the FBI were involved. After months of gathering evidence and going through trials, the charges were suddenly dropped. Nobody knew why, 'cause everybody was sure that he was guilty. He was set free, and he went back on with his life.

"A couple months ago, the police picked Mulligan up again. The charges were for murder, again. One of Mulligan's employees went missing after attending a meeting. He was later found dead in a alley, nowhere near Mulligan's office building. The police had tied the murder back to him, but despite the evidence, the charges were dropped. There were protests against his release, but they ended up being futile. Since then, nobody's really been able to find evidence that will stick. But I'm going to change that," Fiona said. "No matter what."

Eliot looked at her silently. He said skeptically,"Do you know what or where this evidence is?"

Fiona shook her head. "I have a hunch," she said. "When I was in Mulligan's office, I found what I think may be a safe. It could have something in it."

"What makes you think that there is any existing evidence?" Eliot said. "You could be heading for a dead end. You almost got killed last night for evidence that may not exist!"

_Damn him,_ Fiona thought. He was right. She hadn't actually tracked down any solid proof. She could get killed for nothing. Looking at him with contempt, she spoke; "So are you saying that I should just go back to my normal, boring life?"

"I'm just saying that there may be another way to bringing this guy down," he said quietly.

"How then, Superman? You gonna go get Batman and take this guy down superhero style?" Fiona said facetiously.

Eliot smiled, looking charming and dangerous at the same time. "Bats is off on vacation," he said jokingly. Then his face turned serious, "But I may have an idea."

"Do enlighten me," Fiona said. Was this guy just pushing her buttons? Whatever he was doing, it was annoying.

Taking a napkin and pulling a pen out of his pocket, Eliot leaned across the table and started drawing on the napkin, explaining his idea.

* * *

Eight minutes later, Fiona leaned against the back of the booth. Eliot looked at her, waiting for a response. The napkin had arrows, Mulligan's name on it, and various other doodles. That napkin, represented the basic outline of Eliot's idea. It is a good plan, Fiona wouldn't deny that. But she wasn't sure whether this guy was crazy or not. _He had that idea sitting in the back of his head? What the HELL does he do for a living?_ If that plan succeeded, Mulligan would end up in jail. If not... well, they'd be dead, to say the least.

"Well?" Eliot asked. "What do you think?"

Looking him over quickly, she took another sip of her water. "It's risky," she said.

"Yeah, but it will work," he countered. "Much better than you winging it as you go."

"We could die," she protested. She was starting to get a little skeptical about this Eliot and this whole thing suddenly.

"Fiona, look at me," Eliot said. "I know we're practically strangers, but you can trust me. Things like these plans are what I do."

"And what just do you do?" Fiona asked.

"Stuff like this," Eliot pointed to the napkin.

Fiona groaned inwardly. She needed to take down Mulligan. She wouldn't be able to live with herself if she failed. She had no choice. Why did he even want to help her? She owed him a favor, and he wants to help her? She might as well take the opportunity.

"Fine," she said reluctantly. "Where do we start?"

Eliot grinned quickly. He slid out of the booth and stood up. His hand started to go to his left shoulder, but he quickly moved his hand as if he was scratching his head. _Must be still bugging him, _Fiona though as she slid out of the booth. Eliot started walking to the back of the room and she followed. They walked across the room and Eliot opened a door, which lead to a flight of stairs. Fiona would've started mentally preparing herself right then. But she already had started when they slid out of the booth.

"First things first, I've got some friends that you need to meet," he said.

* * *

**A.N.~ Well, what do you think? Review, review, review! :)**


	3. Introductions

**Chapter Three **

_**Introductions**_

**Three floor levels above McRory's Pub – Monday, September 3rd – 1:50 P.M.**

Fiona didn't really know what she was expecting of Eliot's "friends". Could she trust them like she trusted Eliot? She didn't know if she even trusted Eliot, so that probably wasn't a good question to ask herself.

She followed Eliot what Fiona guessed was the third floor of the building. They went down a corridor and Eliot stopped at a door. He pulled out a key and unlocked the door. After he opened it, he walked in and Fiona followed into the apartment. She took walked into the apartment and stopped by a rectangular table with five stools set by it. In front of the table was a couch and on both sides of the couch were two easy chairs. In front of the chairs were six flat screens, two by three, mounted on a stand. Fiona guessed that they could be separate screens each, or one giant screen together. There were books stacked on the coffee table in front of the sofa. Fiona looked over at Eliot, who was in the kitchen. He was looking through the drawers for something. Without even looking at her, he said "You want anything?"

Fiona shook her head, "No thanks." After looking around for a moment, she walked over and sat at the table behind the sofa. She turned the chair so she was facing the kitchen and asked "Is this where you live?"

"Here?" Eliot said, laughing softly (Fiona thought she saw some sadness or something on his face). "Nah, this ain't my place." He kept looking through the drawers. "Where on earth do they keep it?" He said to himself frustrated.

"What are you looking for?" Fiona asked.

"The damn first-aid kit," Eliot said, starting to search through a cupboard below the drawers. "They don't have a proper place for it, so it gets moved around the apartment constantly."

"Do you want some help?" Fiona offered.

Eliot pulled a large black box out of the drawer. "Nope, I just found it." He set the box on the counter. He opened it and started looking through its contents.

"Who's this 'They' you keep talking about?"

Eliot paused from searching through the first-aid box. He looked at her. "They're friends of mine... who happen to be dangerous, and in some cases, crazy, criminals that have gone straight." He went back to looking through the first-aid box. He acted as if the whole dangerous (and crazy) criminals thing wasn't a big deal at all. "They should be here soon," he added casually.

Five minutes later, Fiona heard people talking and she turned to see the apartment door open. In walked two people. Fiona gasped inwardly. It was the black man and the blonde woman from the bar. Parker and... that guy. The guy who's name Fiona never heard.

Both the man and the woman had a look of surprise when they saw Fiona sitting in the kitchen. The man had a look on his face that said _what-the-hell-are-you-doing-in-my-kitchen and _Parker's mouth was wide open. "Whoa, man," said the man in a all-cool voice. He walked over to the kitchen island and pointed at Fiona. "I thought we all agreed that we aren't going to bring our significant others into the apartment. Unless it concerns an assassination attempt, a pregnancy or the end of the world."

"Hardison, (Fiona made a mental note of the name) she ain't my girlfriend," Eliot said annoyed.

The blonde woman, Parker, started laughing. "She ain't your girlfriend. That's hilarious!" She looked at Eliot's face (which had a rather deadly expression on it). "What?" she said, falling silent quickly after.

"She's a reporter," Eliot said as he pulled a roll of bandages, some gauze pads and some antiseptic out of the first-aid box. He shut the box and put it back where he found it. "Hardison, you need to find all the information you can on George Mulligan. Wait 'til Nate and Sophie get here until you show us what you found." Eliot looked a Fiona, "Help Hardison with any information you may have." He picked up the medical supplies and walked off towards the the bathroom. Halfway, he stopped and turned back. "And Parker," he said, looking her straight in the eye. Parker snapped to attention. "Stay out of trouble, and she's **not** my girlfriend." He turned and walked into bathroom and shut the door behind him.

"Did he really get hurt?" Parker said. "Now he's going to be in there forever."

Fiona, not really wanting to be blamed for Eliot's injury, just kept her mouth shut.

* * *

Forty-five minutes later, Fiona found herself still sitting at the table. But this time the world's greatest computer hacker was sitting next to her. She had already sent all the information she had on her netbook to Hardison's laptop, and she was now just sitting, doing nothing. Parker had left the room earlier, saying how she needed to go jump off a roof. Fiona was slightly alarmed by the declaration, but Hardison seemed to think nothing of it.

"Man, this George Mulligan guy is one son of a..." Hardison said, drifting off mid-sentence. He hit a couple of keys on his computer and continued searching.

Fiona yawned. The adrenaline from the day and past night were starting to wear off.

Hardison looked at her. "You know," he said. "You don't have to be here. I got all the info I needed off your computer, so you could go take a nap on the couch."

"I'm good, thanks," Fiona declined.

"Whatever you say," Hardison went back to tapping keys on his laptop.

A couple of minutes passed by before conversation picked up again. "So how do you know Eliot?" Hardison asked with a suspicious tone.

"I'm not his girlfriend, if that's what your asking," Fiona said flatly.

Hardison raised his hands. "Who ever said that? I'm just wondering how you know the dude."

Fiona sighed. "I don't really know him. I just met him last night when he saved my life," she answered.

"That would explain why he was all beat up again," Hardison muttered, glancing at his screen. He looked at Fiona, "Continue," he said.

"Did you say 'all beat up again'? Is this a common occurrence?" Fiona asked.

"Sort of..." Hardison said, he acted as if he was dodging the topic. "It usually happens the other way around. You know, the bad guys get beat up instead of Eliot."

Fiona was shocked. "What on earth you people do that involves Eliot beating people up?"

Hardison paused before answering. "It's his job to protect us from any danger when we're doing our job."

Fiona's interest was piqued. "What exactly is this job?"

"We help people," Hardison stated.

That wasn't enough for Fiona. "How exactly do you _help_ people?"

"We pull cons on the bad guys. As Nate puts it, we provide leverage."

Fiona looked skeptically at Hardison. "So how many of you are in this whole "leverage" thing?"

"Listen, Fiona, I think it would be better if you waited til Nate and Sophie get here. They can explain it better than I could."

"Just tell me what your job and Eliot's job is," Fiona demanded.

"I'm the hacker and Eliot's the retrieval specialist, or the hitter, however you prefer it. It's what we do best," Hardison focused himself on his computer and warded off anymore attempts for information from Fiona.

While Fiona was still trying to break Hardison's wall of silence, Parker came back from wherever she went. She walked over to the table that Fiona and Hardison were sitting at and sat herself down by Fiona. She leaned over and sniffed Fiona's hair.

"You're hair smell's good," Parker said randomly

"Excuse me?" Fiona asked. What on earth was she doing?

"Just ignore her," Hardison said, breaking his wall of silence."

Parker was now staring at Fiona, as if she were studying her. "How did Eliot hurt himself?" she asked.

"Why do you want to know?"

"Because there is **no way** we'll be getting an answer out of him," Parker nodded her head in the direction of the bathroom.

"One of Mulligan's men had a knife," Fiona said guiltily. "He managed to slice him with it."

"Really?" Parker said, surprised.

"Whoa, really?" Hardison echoed.

"Uh, yeah..." Fiona lowered her voice a bit. She didn't know if Eliot could hear her through the door, but she didn't really feel like risking it.

"That's not like him," Parker observed.

"It's my fault," Fiona said quickly. "If I hadn't gone into that alley, he wouldn't have been hurt because of me."

Parker and Hardison looked at Fiona from both sides. They looked at each other and smiled devilishly. Noticing that Fiona was watching them, they quickly looked away; Hardison tried to look busy with his laptop and Parker looked around the room, whistling.

"He must have been distracted," Parker commented after a couple of seconds.

"Oh, he was _**definitely**_ distracted," Hardison agreed.

Fiona groaned. Looking at Parker, she said "Do you have another bathroom I could use?"

Parker nodded and jumped out of her chair. "This way," she said, grinning crazily. Fiona followed her up the spiraling metal staircase. Upon reaching the top, she followed her down a hallway.

They stopped halfway. "Here is it," Parker said. She went back up the hallway and Fiona heard her feet descending the stairs.

Fiona entered the bathroom and shut the door behind her. She leaned against the door and slid down to the floor. _Really, Silverman? Look what you're getting yourself into!_ she told herself. The whole lot are a bunch of criminals. She wasn't sure whether Eliot was a criminal or not, but if he beats people up for a job, she wouldn't be surprised.

Was this really a good idea? Fiona was starting to have her doubts. These people are criminals! Even if they've turned away from the illegal activities, they're probably still wanted by the authorities. How on earth could a bunch of criminals help her? If they got caught by the police, Fiona would probably go down with them. Besides, they seemed a little odd. Hardison and Eliot were somewhat normal (although being a world class hacker and hitter wasn't exactly normal), but then there was Parker. She was most definitely crazy. But then there were those other two that Eliot mentioned, and so did Hardison. _What were there names? _Fiona thought._ That's right, Nate and Sophie._ Whoever they were, Fiona hoped they were saner than Parker.

If this was the only help she was going to get, then she might as well take it. She'd seen Eliot do his job, so at least she'd have protection. Besides, she needed to take George Mulligan down. She needed to do it for the people he murdered, their families and... and for Garrett. _Especially_ for Garrett.

Fiona sighed at the thought. Pushing the memories away from her mind, Fiona stood up from the bathroom floor. She looked in the mirror and fixed a stray piece of hair. She opened the door of the bathroom. She almost screamed when she saw a woman's face looking right at her.

"Oh sorry," the woman said, surprised. She had dark hair that was pulled back into a ponytail. She wore a little black sparkly dress with a cropped, red jacket and she wore black, knee-high boots. Fiona thought she looked a little dressed up for a Monday afternoon. Must have been one heck of a long weekend.

"I'm so sorry!" the woman apologized again. "I didn't know anyone was in there." She looked Fiona over and Fiona was suddenly self-conscious of how she must have appeared to this woman. Her jacket must look rumpled from sleeping in it, and her hair was a mess. "Do I know you?" the woman asked.

"Uh, no actually," Fiona answered.

"Matilda Harrisburg," the woman held out her hand and Fiona shook it. "How did you get here?"

"I'm an acquaintance of Eliot's," Fiona said. She desperately hoped this woman wouldn't jump to conclusions like others had.

Matilda had a surprised look on her face. Quickly smiling, she held out her hand again. "Well, in that case, I'm Sophie Devereaux."

Fiona shook her hand. "You're Sophie," she said disbelievingly.

"That's right! And who are you?"

After Fiona told Sophie her name, Sophie said, "Where have I heard your name before?"

Fiona shrugged. "I write small articles for the Globe."

Sophie shook her head. "No, that's not it," she said. "It was something else..." She then laughed, "Oh, I'll remember eventually." She smiled.

"Yeah," Fiona said. She moved out of the way so Sophie could have the bathroom. "Well, I better get downstairs, got some work to do." She started to walk down the hall towards the staircase.

"Hey!" Sophie called after her. "When you get down there could you tell Eliot to stop hogging the bathroom?"

Fiona nodded and went down the staircase. Halfway down, she realized that since she just met Sophie, she was probably going to meet Nate as well. She started to brace herself ahead of time.

She stepped off the stairs and looked around the room. Hardison was still where she left him, but Parker had disappeared somewhere. In her place at the table was a man. He was older looking than Hardison and was dressed up in a black suit with a dark red tie. He was talking to Hardison, looking very business-like.

And as far as Fiona could tell, Eliot had yet to emerge from the bathroom.

Making her way across the room to the bathroom door, Fiona knocked on the door. "Eliot?" she said.

No reply.

She looked over to Hardison and the man and saw that they were looking at her. The man in the suit looked at Hardison and Hardison said something about a potential client or something.

Turning her head away from the two men, she knocked on the door again, this time with more worry. "Eliot!"

Relief flooded her when a response came from behind the door. "What do you want?" She heard Eliot growl.

"Just making sure you haven't died or anything," Fiona replied. "Do you need any help?"

The door opened and Eliot stepped out of the bathroom. "I'm fine," he said. Fiona was unconvinced; he was very pale and sweaty.

"Uh huh, sure. I'd hurry up if I were you, there are disgruntled people out here."

"Yeah, man! Hurry up and finish with your hair!" Hardison added.

As Eliot walked out of the bathroom, Fiona though he looked uncertain on his feet. She heard him grumble about how people can be impatient, but she ignored it.

"So who exactly are you?" A voice asked.

Fiona spun around to see that the question came from the man next to Hardison. "Fiona Silverman," she held her hand out.

"Nathan Ford," he shook her hand. This was Nate? He's supposed to help

"Enough with the formalities, people," Eliot interrupted. He sat down on a chair in front of the screens with a glass of water in his hand. "Hardison, show us what you found," He ordered.

"Sure thing," Hardison said.

Fiona sighed. This was going to be on heck of a day.

* * *

Apologies for the **über late update. Life has this habit of getting in the way. ;) Read and review! Reviews boost my determination to write.**


	4. Master Plans

**Chapter Four**

_**Master Plans (With a side order of revelations)**_

**Three floor levels above McRory's Pub – Monday, September 3rd – 2:48 P.M**

The group had gathered around the screens and were sitting on the couches and chairs. They all gave Eliot, who was still in a rather touchy mood, a wider berth. Fiona, giving him some more space than was needed, sat down next to him in the middle of the sofa, ignoring the looks from Parker and Hardison.

"So, Fiona," Nate said, sitting down. "I don't usually interview potential candidates for our... services with the whole team present, but this is apparently a special case. So tell us your story."

Fiona nodded and dove right into her story. She told it exactly like she told it to Eliot, but would elaborate if necessary. Which thankfully, wasn't needed very often.

When she finished her tale, Nate was looking at her. "Very well," he said as he just had been told a child' s story. "Start the briefing," he nodded towards Hardison.

"Alright," Hardison said. He was sitting the closest to the screens, a wireless controller in his hand. Using the remote, he brought up a picture on the screen. There was a tall man in the photo with dark hair that was graying on the sides and piercing green eyes. Fiona instantly recognized him to be George Mulligan.

"George Mulligan," Hardison said, pointing the remote at the screen. Pictures of documents appeared on the screen, along with press photos. "Born in Scotland in 1962, lived there all of his childhood until he moved to America at the age of seventeen with his father when his mother died." He flickered through some photos and continued: "He has never married and has no children. His father was a pharmacist, and Mulligan was following in his footsteps by attending and graduating from a pharmacy school. Ten years ago, Mulligan got his big break by becoming the creator and CEO of a company that sells vitamin supplementary pills and all that sort of stuff. But he's been under fire recently because-"

Fiona cut him off. "There have been cases where they don't work. – In fact, they may possibly kill people."

"Right." Hardison said. "Something about an imbalance of vitamins or a too high a concentration of a certain vitamin. But at least two people have died while they were taking these supplements, but-"

"But it may have been a cover-up for a murder that Mulligan most likely committed," Fiona interrupted again.

"Excuse me, but who is holding the remote? Or would you rather run this briefing?" an annoyed Hardison said. "'Cause I can sit down if you want."

Fiona shook her head, her eyes focused on the picture of George Mulligan.

"Thank you," Hardison said. Taking a breath, he continued. "And every time he was under scrutiny or even charged for those murders, he someone managed to prove them false."

"Uh, Hardison," Nate said, "Who were the murder victims?"

Two photos appeared on the screen, both head shots. One was of a woman, maybe in her mid-twenties, with black hair and blue eyes. The photo showed that she was wearing a red shirt with the U.S. Marine logo on it.

The other photo was of a man with blonde hair and piercing green eyes. The photo showed that he was wearing a black shirt with a green vest. Fiona turned her face away quickly and stared out the window. _You're fine, Silverman_, she told herself. _You've been through this a million times._

"Mulligan's first 'supposed' victim was twenty-three year old Danica Princton. She was the newly-wed wife of a Marine soldier until he was killed overseas in January. Mrs. Princton then began taking antidepressants along with some other vitamins that both were from Mulligan's company. Mulligan had personally given the antidepressants and vitamins to Danica and after she died in March of two thousand nine under suspicious circumstances, he was under fire for tampering with the pills' structure."

"So he didn't murder her with a knife or anything?" Parker asked.

Hardison shook his head. "Nope."

"What about the man," Elliot asked, pointing to the picture. "How'd he die?"

"Mulligan killed him himself," Fiona said quietly, saying the words as if she were reciting a dreadful poem. "With a knife. In the back alley behind Mulligan's office building. May eighteenth, two thousand nine."

Everybody looked at Fiona. "What?" Sophie said, confused. "What are you talking about, Fiona?"

"That's how Garrett Quirion died."

"How do you know this?" Nate questioned.

"Yeah," Hardison agreed. "I mean, that's way more information I got concerning his death. Or about him for even that matter, there's practically nothing about this guy."

Fiona just shook her head. She most definitely regretted saying anything about him. "I knew him, that's all," she said in a even quieter voice.

"I'm sorry," Sophie said sympathetically. She was sitting was sitting on the other side of Fiona and she gave the woman a hug.

"Please, just go on," Fiona gently pushed away Sophie's embrace.

Warily, Hardison spoke: "So, Garrett Quirion. He was twenty-two-"

"Twenty-one," Fiona corrected. " He died a week before his birthday."

"Okay... He was twenty-one when he was found dead in a dumpster behind Mulligan's office building. There were knife wounds -"

"Skip it, Hardison," Nate ordered.

Hardison looked away from the screen. His eyes flickered towards Fiona, "Yeah, right," he said, clicking the remote. "I couldn't find much on Quirion, but I did find out (through Mulligan's database, might I add) that he was an employee of Mulligan's as a salesman. A model one, in fact. And even Mulligan said he liked the guy, so nobody could figure out why he would murder Garrett."

"Maybe he found something?" Parker suggested. "Like file with corrupt numbers or something?"

"More like a file that had proof that Mulligan murdered Garrett and had something to do with Danica's death," Fiona said.

"Could you please stop being so mysterious and stuff?" Eliot grumbled. "Just tell us what the heck you're talking about!"

"Well excuse me, Mr. Impatient!" Fiona retorted. "I'm sorry if the sentence I just said didn't make any sense to you what-so-ever!"

"Eliot, calm down," Nate said peacefully. "What is up with you anyways?"

"He got hurt!" Parker piped in, grinning madly.

"Parker, shut up!" Eliot growled.

Nate looked as if he was about to pursue the subject, but then shook his head as if he thought better about it. "I don't even want to know how," he said. Rubbing his eyes, he looked at Fiona and said, "Now what is this about a file?"

Fiona took a deep breath. "There's a file – somewhere in Mulligan's hell of an office - that has information that would prove that he is guilty."  
"And how do you know about this?"

Fiona stayed silent. She hadn't told anyone, _ever, _how she knew about the file. And she wasn't planning on telling now.

"Fiona," Sophie said soothingly, "How do you know?" She placed her hand on Fiona shoulder.

_Do __**not **__break down now. Not now, not ever. _She stared down at her hands, not making eye contact with any of the five people in the room, and most definitely **not** with Eliot who was staring at her intensely.

"I'd rather not say," she said after a few moments.

"Listen, if you got the information from a source who isn't really on the good side, fine." Nate said. "But if you are trying to take us down and bring us to the authorities, we'll find out. And then we'll have to ship you off to Timbuktu." His voice had become low and dangerous, almost as if he were threatening her.

"Nate, lay off," Eliot said.

"I'm serious! You know what happened the last time someone tried to pull one over our heads," Nate pointedly looked at Sophie.

"It was an accident!" Sophie insisted and Fiona had the feeling than an old argument was beginning to surface.

"An accident that almost got Parker killed!" Nate retorted.

"That two years ago," Eliot said wearily, rubbing his eyes. "Can you please just let it go?"

"Please!" Hardison and Parker said at the same time.

After having a stare-down with Sophie that lasted at least two minutes, Nate finally broke contact and stood up. "Fine," he said and he muttered something unintelligible. "I need a drink."

All eyes turned back to Fiona. "So..." Parker started.

"You people are damn persistent," Fiona swore. She then sighed, she might as well tell them. There is no way that they would help her if they didn't know. About her, or that file.

She took a deep breath, "I'll tell you." By then, Nate had returned with a glass full of... something, Fiona couldn't tell what.

"You will?" Parker said surprised. "Took you long enough."

"Parker," Sophie chided.

"I might as well. With Hardison's computer skills, Eliot's fighting bravado -"

"It ain't bravado," Eliot protested. "People don't know real skill when they see it."

"And with Parker's... quirkiness, you probably would get the truth eventually." Fiona let out a nervous laugh, but quickly sobered. "I only know about the file because of Garrett. He told me about it before..." she stopped quickly with a shaky breath.

"Before what?" Parker inquired.

"Right before he died. Forty minutes before," Fiona paused before continuing. "He called me Forty minutes before Mulligan killed him, he called me. He sounded out of breath and I asked him what he was doing, but he said he just was out for a run. Then he told me to listen closely. He didn't say how, but he told me that he found a file where he worked. A file that had information about a woman who died while using the products the company created and sold. He said that I possibly would have to find that file one day and use it against the company. No matter how many times I asked, he wouldn't tell me why. And he said he had to go and that he loved me. He hung up before I barely registered what he said."

Silence. And then Hardison let out a low whistle. "Man, you definitely are deeper in this than I thought."

Fiona nodded, suddenly feeling lonesome and mournful.

"I'm truly sorry." Nate gave her a sympathetic look. Taking a drink out of his glass, he swallowed and let it down. "Well," he said, "looks like we got no choice but to help."

"We most definitely are!" Sophie said.

"Thank you," Fiona said with a smile.

"So how do we get the file?" Hardison asked.

Nate was quiet for a moment as he pondered. "Do you happen to know where this file is, Fiona?"

Fiona shrugged. "All I know is that it's in his personal office, but that may have changed since last night."

"Okay," Nate said absentmindedly.

"I could go get it right now," Parker said. "Easy."

"It wouldn't work," Hardison said. He pointed the remote at the screen. "Mulligan has a really tight security system in place, so it would take a couple of days to work around it."

"And besides, we need an actual plan, rather than just go in and get the folder," Nate said. "We need to hit Mulligan and we need to hit him hard."

"Just send Eliot in then," Parker said. "He can hit him."

"Parker, that's not helping!" Sophie said.

"I'd rather that nobody gets hurt," Fiona said quickly.

"Relax," Eliot said. "I'm just there mostly for good looks."

Fiona flashed him a look that scream the word _LIAR! _"So last night was what, running around as Superman? Saving people from possible murder?"

Eliot was about to reply when Nate broke in. "That's it! Mulligan needs to commit another murder."

"What?" the rest of the team, including Fiona said.

"I'll explain later, but I need to think it through some more."

With a sigh, Sophie said, "I don't suppose there is a name for this con?"

"Nope," Nate shook his head.

With an exasperated look, Sophie walked off, muttering about con names and the need of them.

"They're not always necessary!" Nate called after her.

"I like them," Parker said sadly. "They help me keep all of our jobs straight."

Fiona had no clue what they were talking about. And she wasn't sure if she wanted to find out.

"So, who is Mulligan going to murder?" Hardison asked.

"I haven't figured that out yet," Nate answered.

Fiona was starting to feel anxious about this whole thing. _It's okay, Fiona,_ she assured herself. _They're not crazy... mostly._

"I'll have something figured out soon. Hardison, start getting the building plans, security schematics and a list of all the employees of Mulligan's company," Nate ordered.

With a nod, Hardison shut down the screens and walked over to his computer and began typing.

Nate got up and went up the stairs, leaving Fiona with Parker and Eliot.

Fiona's stomach grumbled and it was then that she realized that she hadn't had anything to eat since that morning.

"Is there anything to eat?" she asked Parker and Eliot.

Parker jumped up and grabbed her hand, pulling her towards to open kitchen area. "Eliot's a great cook! We can help him!"

"Great," Eliot muttered, getting up from the couch, moving towards the kitchen.

* * *

**Okay, so Nate's a little out-of-character the way I wrote him. Hopefully that will change by his next appearance, and hopefully I'll be able to write in the famous line that he always says.**

**Read and review, it makes me oh-so delighted. And when I'm delighted, I write more (and better)!**

**Thanks! :)**


	5. What to Do?

**A.N.~ Okay, here's the fifth chapter! Sorry for the wait and a special thank you to **_**saides**_** for pointing out a **_**major**_** flaw I had written concerning Eliot's character. :)**

**Chapter Five**

_**Stage One**_

**The Arda Building - Wednesday, September 5th - 9:50 A.M.**

"Nate, I'm heading in right now," Fiona muttered into the comlink. Hardison had given her one and she was finding it very disconcerting that there were voices in her head. Forcing her nerves to calm down and smoothing the brown wig on her head, Fiona walked into the tall, looming and metallic building.

"Alright, be careful Fiona," Nate's voice sounded in her ear.

"She's not Fiona," Parker piped in. "Her name is Beth, remember?"

"It's a cover name, Parker," Eliot growled.

"Guys, shut up," said Fiona. She was now in the lobby of the Arda building, and she tried her best to not let her jaw drop at the at the size of the lobby. The ceiling was the tallest one she had ever seen for a lobby and the the room was decorated with large paintings. A large crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling. Sofas and comfy chairs were lined up against the far wall and a few people were sitting in them. To Fiona's left high on the wall was the logo for Shláinte Vitamins - Health Vitamins, Mulligan's company. Under the sign was a reception desk. Taking a deep breath, Fiona walked up to the woman sitting behind the desk.

"Can I help you?" the receptionist asked dully, looking at Fiona over her glasses. She was a middle-aged woman who lacked any color in her outfit and make-up.

Despite her fear and nervousness, Fiona managed to smile brightly at the woman. "My name is Beth Thompson and I have an appointment at ten o'clock with Mr. Mulligan."

The receptionist tapped a few keys on her computer. "Right," she said. "If you'll please take a seat, someone will be with you shortly and bring you to Mr. Mulligan."

"Thank you," said Fiona. She walked over to the sofas and sat herself down on the sofa closest to the doors.

"I'm waiting for Mulligan now," Fiona muttered. Nate had barely acknowledged her sentence when a man walked through double doors. Fiona instantly recognized him as Mulligan

Mulligan was one-hundred percent more intimidating than in the photo. His eyes seemed to see right through Fiona and she briefly thought of calling the whole thing off. That thought left quickly once she remembered Garret and Mulligan's other victims and her determination came back.

Mulligan walked up to Fiona, smiling with a glint in his green eyes. Trying not to blow it, Fiona tried to remember her cover's name, but was having trouble remembering it. Thankfully, Mulligan unknowingly helped. "Miss Thompson?" He said with a slight Irish accent and he held out his hand to shake hers.

"That's me," Fiona smiled nervously. "It's nice to meet you."

"Likewise," he replied. "I understand you are a medical journalist?"

"Uh, yes," Fiona said. _Don't blow it, Silverman, _she though."I write for the New England Journal of Medicine. We were hoping to write an article on your company and the products you make."

"Wouldn't you normally call to ask this question?"

_Damn. _"Yes," she said slowly, "but I was in town anyways so my boss just told me to come and ask you in person."

Mulligan looked at her with a questioning look. Fiona sure that he could tell that she was lying, but he then said "We must discuss this some more, won't you please follow me in to my office?"

It was right then when Fiona realized that she had no clue what to do next.

**A.N.~ So yeah... I'm not sure what I think about this chapter. I really hope I gave you guys something to tie you over until the next one. Reviews please!**

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